New Year's
by CfSbIi
Summary: CSI: Miami [HC] at the stroke of midnight everything changes...


New Year's

Rating: PG

Paring: Horatio and Calleigh

Spoilers: None really. Just a bit from the start of Season Two. (C/Ha)

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I wish I did. If I did them Horatio and Calleigh would be together, Hagen would be off in Never-Never Land with Yalana, and Speed and Eric would have nice girlfriends who were well right for them.

New Years is a time for new beginnings. A time to start the year over and try to accomplish the things that you were not able to complete the year before. For the Miami Dade CSIs, this was what they hoped to accomplish. New beginnings, and new starts.

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Alexx, Speed, Horatio, Calleigh, and Eric had all decided that they were going to spend New Years together. They were all going to get together at Alexx's house and wait for the ball to drop. Speed and Eric wasted no time in asking Alexx if she minded them bringing dates, and of corse, she thought, "The more the merrier." She also extended the invitation to Horatio and Calleigh; they could bring someone if they wished.

_"Oh great!"_Calleigh thought. _"They all probably think I am going to bring John. I wonder what Horatio thinks, or who is he going to bring. I hope not Yelina." __Just _at the thought she got chills up her spine. 

_"Hum, I wonder if Calleigh is going to bring Hagen? I don't like him. I just hope Yelina doesn't get wind of this get-together." _Horatio thought. 

The others looked back and forth between the two and shook their heads. Something was going to have to change between the two, because they could not stand it anymore. Horatio was the first to stand up and bid everyone goodnight, with his eyes trained only on Calleigh. She looked up and gave him one of her famous smiles she saved just for him, and he smiled back. Not long to later, Calleigh also excused herself to go close up the ballistics lab.

Once Calleigh left, the others started to talk about New Years.

"I can't take it anymore," said Speed, once Calleigh was out of earshot."Every time I see those two together, it is like they are having their own private conversation without talking, only looking at one another and simple little touches they think no one else can see. We_ need_ to do something." 

"I am right along with you there, Speed." said Eric. "Do you know how hard it is to get work done around here with those two?" 

Alexx just smiled at the two boys. "Okay. This is what we are going to do," she said. "New Years, since we are all spending it at my house, we're gonna get those two together. 'Cause something's got to give." 

The guys just looked at Alexx as if she had given them the secret to life. They loved to play matchmaker, and if the two that they were getting together were Horatio and Calleigh, then even better. 

As the days went on, Alexx, Speed, and Eric all stopped and talked about the plot for New Years. The closer the day got, the more excited they all became.

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New Years Night:

Calleigh did not think that it would be that hard to pick out an outfit to go to Alexx's New Years Party, but as she looked at her closet, she could not decide on what to wear. She could not find one outfit that she thought would send Horatio to his knees. Just as she was about to launch herself into her closet and rummage around until she found the most perfect outfit, she heard a knock at the door. _"Who can that be?"_ she thought. She quickly threw on a pair of sweats and ran to the door. She was shocked to find Eric standing on the other side.

"Not that I am not happy to see you, hun, but what are you doing here?" she asked.

Eric just looked her up and down and said, "I hope that is not what you're wearing tonight!"

"God no! Have you ever seen me wear anything like this, to anyplace other then the gym?" she asked. "So again I ask, what did I do to deserve this honor of you showing up on my doorstep?" 

"Well for starters, you could invite me in," he joked. Once he was inside, he said, "Well, I thought that I could just help you pick out what your gonna wear tonight." Giving her one last smile that could bring almost any girl to her knees, he shoved her towards her room.

"Well Eric, I can't say that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do, but what makes you think that I can't pick out what I am going to wear tonight myself?" she said, with her hands on her hips.

"Darlin', I bet you were just standing there looking at your closet trying to figure out what to wear that would make H pray to the Gods that he would go home with you at the end of the night." When he saw the shocked look on Calleigh's face, he just smiled. "C'mon Calleigh, we all see it; now let's pick out an outfit."

"For starters, I don't care what any man thinks about the way I dress, and second, what makes you think I care about what Horatio thinks?" Eric just laughed.

40 minutes and about a million outfits later, Calleigh was dressed and ready to go. She bid Eric goodbye as he left to get his date and set off for Alexx's house. 

****************************************

Horatio stood in Alexx's living room seeing what else he could help with before the others arrived. He had decided to show up early so that he could help Alexx and her husband set up, but when he arrived, he found out that they were all prepared. So he just stood there waiting for the others to show, and he did not have to wait long before he heard a knock at the door.

As he went to answer it, he took a deep breath and swung the door open just in time to see Calleigh standing there adjusting the top that she was wearing. He didn't have time to recover by the time she looked up at him. 

"Are you going to let me in Handsome, or are you just going to stand there and stare?" she said.

"You look beautiful," he said in the huskiest voice.

"Well, thank you," she said as she passed him entering the house, looking for Alexx. Trying not to let the way his voice sounded affect her as much as it did. _"He thinks I look beautiful! Thank you, Eric," _she thought.

Horatio looked her up and down again and took his time to absorb her image. She was wearing a black low cut v-neck shirt that was sheer in the back and made the possibilities endless, black pants that hugged her in all the right places, and black shoes that made her about a little less then a head shorter then himself, and her hair was left down and straight just the way he liked it. He was right; she_did_ look good in black. 

Calleigh, when she realized that Horatio was staring, just turned around and smiled at him. _ "Damn, he looks good," _she thought. He was wearing a gray silk suit and a white shirt underneath it, with just the top few buttons undone. She turned back around just in time to see Alexx giving her that look that she knew too well. She had been caught in the act. 

Alexx just smiled. _"They__'ll never know what hit them,"_ she thought. Just as she was about to say something, another knock came from the door and she went to go answer it, while Calleigh went to go greet her husband. 

Speed and Eric showed up at the same time, and then they decided they were going to start their plan. 

Once everyone was settled in with their drinks and everyone was just sitting around talking amongst themselves, Alexx and Calleigh took their drinks and went outside on the deck to talk. 

Alexx noticed the dazed look on Calleigh's face and said, "You wanna talk about him?" 

Calleigh, being startled out of her daze, said, "Talk about who?" 

Alexx just laughed. "You may be able to fool yourselves, but hun, let me tell you, you both have got it bad."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Alexx."

"Sure," she said, disbelieving. "I am going into get a refill; want one?" she asked.

"Thanks." As Alexx went to go get their drinks, Calleigh just stood on the deck leaning over the rail looking at the stars and the ocean. 

_"Part One is a go," _ thought Alexx as she walked inside. 

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When Alexx came back in, Horatio noticed that Calleigh had decided to stay out on the deck. He wondered what was going on. Well, he did not have to wait much longer; he noticed that Alexx was walking over to him with a drink in hand. "Horatio," she said, "can you bring this out to Calleigh? She is sitting on the deck. I'm needed in the kitchen."

"Absolutely," he said and turned to go join Calleigh on the deck.

"Thanks," she said as he walked away. He did not happen to see her walk over to Eric and Speed and point out what was going on out on the deck. _"Part Two is a go," _they thought.

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"Hey," he said. If she was startled by his entrance, she did not show it.

"Hey, Handsome." she replied. "Thank you," she said as he handed her her drink.

They just stood there for a couple of minutes staring at the ocean. When they heard a song playing from inside the house, Horatio just looked at Calleigh and held out his hand waiting for her to accept it. Calleigh just looked at his hand and then up to his face and became lost in his eyes.She thought she saw love and hope, but maybe it, was just her wishful thinking. Without a second thought she took his hand. 

Horatio spun her around, and she fell lightly against his chest. He wrapped one arm around to the small of her back, and in the other he held her hand over his heart. Their eyes never left each others. Throughout the song, they became lost in each others eyes. They hardly noticed their friends standing in the door way staring at them. _"Finally!" _they thought.

_"Oh my God," _thought Calleigh,_"I can't believe this is happening. I know that I love him. I always have. I have belonged to him since the day we met, whether __he wanted me or not. I could just stand here with him forever. This just feels so... right."_

_"She looks beautiful tonight," _thought Horatio, _"I can't believe that she is letting me hold her. I could just get lost in her eyes. I have loved her since the day I laid eyes on her. I could stand here with her forever. This just feels so... right. 'Fate goes as fate must.' And it must be fate that I am able to stand with his beautiful woman in my arms. I love her."_

****************************************

It was quickly approaching midnight, and everyone was getting ready to welcome in the new year- all except Horatio and Calleigh, who were still out on the deck holding each other. Hating to break it up, Alexx went outside and told them that they had 5 minutes to the New Year. Horatio just looked up and nodded to Alexx.

"I don't think I could ask for a better way to end this year and welcome a new one," Horatio whispered into Calleigh's ear.

"You want to know what, Horatio?" With a look to continue from him, she did. "I could not agree more."

With that, they went inside to welcome the New Year with their closest friends, more like their family. With Calleigh's back pressed against Horatio's chest, they gathered with their friends to watch the ball drop in New York's Times Square. Just seconds before the ball dropped, Horatio spun Calleigh around, held her close to his chest, and whispered into her ear, "I love you." 

She pulled back just as the ball was dropping and said, "I love you, too, Handsome." And at the stroke of midnight they shared their first kiss as a couple.

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New Years is a time for new beginnings. A time to start the year over and try to accomplish the things that you were not able to complete the year before. For the Miami Dade CSIs, this was what they accomplished. New beginnings, and new starts.

Finis.


End file.
